Around 2 years ago during a very stressful time, meditation and yoga changed my life! I knew I had to share this practice with as many people as possible. I completed my 200hr training in Costa Rica with YogiCop and Urban Elements in 2015, followed by Relax and Renew Level 1 Restorative Yoga Training with Judith Hanson Lasater, PT, PhD. in Rochester, NY September 2015 (Certified).

I have found restorative yoga can be a wonderful place to promote healing, stress reduction, and rest for the body. In my quest for more knowledge, I had the opportunity to learn Love Your Brain Yoga, became an assistant for Judith in her Level 1 training in Chicago June 2016, and completed Judith's Advanced Relax and Renew Level 2 Restorative Yoga training in San Francisco August 2016. Restorative yoga has a special place in my heart, and I am so grateful to share the healing aspect of this practice. In my daily work as a physical therapist, I have found it can be so healing and helpful.

Also, as a recent Rainbow Kids Yoga graduate in October 2016, I can't wait to take that knowledge and fun times and share them with kids and families in the community! ​​

Liz Newberry, instructor, RYT 200

I have had the pleasure of teaching yoga in the greater Pittsburgh area since 2009. I first studied yoga as a modern dance minor at Allegheny College, where I focused on dance and movement in the context of cultural significance. As a graduate student at Duquesne Law School, I found myself being called to practice yoga as a method of staying grounded and connected to myself. As I continued to practice, I felt called to become a teacher and share my love of yoga with others, and to help others in accessing the tools of breath and movement. I completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training with Joanne Vandenhengel of Third Street Yoga, and I am currently continuing my yoga teacher education with the 300 hour program at Sangha Center for Yoga and Wellness, with an anticipated graduation date of June, 2017. I am a mother of 2 children, and I have a special interest in prenatal yoga. I obtained my prenatal yoga teacher certification through Janice Clarfield and Urban Yoga in Washington D.C. in 2012. Additional continuing education experiences I’ve had over the years include gentle yoga teacher training, guided meditation, hands-on adjustments, and trauma-informed yoga. I plan to continue the cycle of learning, teaching, and practicing forever, and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to do so at Soulshine Yoga!

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Erin Burdine, instructor, RYT 200

Erin was born in San Diego California. At age five she begged her mom for ballet shoes, and at age six she finally gave in and Erin fell in love with the world of dance. She was enrolled at New West Ballet Company who worked closely with the California Ballet Company. She danced pre professionally throughout high school and relocated to Weirton, West Virginia at age 18 where she continued to dance with Point Park University and pursued teaching dance throughout the Ohio Valley. She started taking yoga classes to enhance her strength, balance, and flexibility. She ended up finding an even deeper connection to the practice of yoga than she had in dance. In April of 2015 she was in a car accident which injured her back and neck and put her in a neck brace for some time. She had to take a step back from dance but with the help of physical therapy and yoga she was able to regain her strength and flexibility. She learned more about her body through the injury and her connection with yoga assisted her not only physically but mentally as she went through her healing process. Erin decided to pursue yoga teacher training at Yoga H’om where she received her 200-hour teaching certificate. With the 12 years of teaching experience behind her she was able to smoothly transition from teaching dance to teaching yoga. She looks forward to further her training this fall with Kino Mcgregor and Jason Crandall! Erin finds so much joy in sharing her knowledge and energy with her students! When she is not in the yoga studio Erin enjoys hiking, painting and spending time with her family!

Meeraj Moosa, instructor, RYT 200, Certified Reiki II practitioner

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Meeraj started taking yoga for a physical practice during her junior year of high school. She likes to say yoga found her for the much-needed mental practice during her first year of college. After seeing an improvement in her overall health she knew she wanted to pass this beautiful gift on to others. After graduating college Meeraj began the journey to getting her 200-hour YTT certification, which she received in March of 2016. At the time she was a nanny and started practicing with the kids she watched over. It was then that she realized kids needed yoga just as much as adults, and she decided to focus part of her training on children’s yoga. Having a knack for working with children has opened Meeraj up to a whole new world of possibilities in the yoga community. She holds a Childlight Yoga Teacher certification as of June 2016.

When Meeraj isn’t practicing yoga you can find her cuddled with her cat, offering Reiki, or enjoying the company of her friends & family!

Casey Reinig, instructor, E-RYT 200 and YACEP

Casey’s yoga journey began in college when she took an elective class while working towards an Exercise Science degree at Slippery Rock University. She was a college cross country and track runner and had chronic lower back pain due to the wear and tear of running. She found that a daily yoga practice took away her back pain and taught her how to really breathe for the first time. Upon graduating in 2001, she moved to Jacksonville, Florida where she worked in Corporate Wellness and earned her 200-hour teaching certification. She has taught in a wide variety of settings since then. One of her most memorable classes was when she was 6 months pregnant and taught an impromptu class on the beach in Punta Cana when the resorts instructor canceled. Casey has studied with many international teachers and always consider herself a student as well as a teacher of yoga. She loves to find yoga classes and adventures wherever she goes. She lives in Moon Township with her husband and three young children and enjoys traveling, hiking, camping and being outdoors with her family. She thinks of yoga as a gift that can be shared with absolutely anyone and is grateful to be able to share it with you!

Cheryl Palmer, instructor, RYT 200 I discovered yoga via a dusty book I bought at a yard sale when I was 14. I never heard of yoga or saw it before but spent my freshman year of high school teaching myself poses and doing my version of meditating. I became more interested in teaching spinning, distance running, lifting weights and playing roller derby and I didn't find yoga again until a sports injury forced me to take better care of my body. At first, I found myself too distracted to appreciate it fully and felt my mind being pulled in one hundred directions every time I got near my mat. I figured yoga just wasn't for me until I stumbled into a Power Yoga class in Charleston, SC a few years ago. Hanging out at a yoga studio seemed much more appealing than the horrible rush hour traffic that I was sitting in daily. The physical challenge of yoga was what initially attracted me. It has given me so much more. It's become a space I didn't know I needed where I could quiet my ever busy mind and connect to my inner thought and ease the stress I used to carry around with me. It's made me more aware and appreciative of the current moment and my mat has become somewhere I can go when I need a heart-lift. Wanting to use yoga with my elementary class, I took a children's yoga training through Childlight and Kidding Around Yoga. I had so much fun teaching after-school yoga and I was craving more. I also wanted to refine and develop my own practice and was certified through South Hills Power Yoga in July 2017. When I went to a pop-up Buti Yoga class last summer it was unlike anything I tried. I knew right away I had to bring this practice to more women and was certified in Buti in August 2017. I love music and trying new poses (and laughing when they don't go well!) and I feel that yoga should be something that makes you smile.

Klara Groskova, instructor,RYT 200

Klara discovered yoga at an early age falling in love with the peace that it brought her mind and body. She struggled with anxiety and yoga stilled her thoughts. However, it wasn't until college when she took a yoga class that she learned she couldn't live without it. One day at a stressful time in her life she decided to go to Greece for a month to get her yoga teaching certification. There her love for yoga and herself only grew to discover her calling in life which was to share all that she knew and lovee with those who needed it most. Her main goal is to teach others that they can be happy and at peace. As well as, to bring everyone together to share their love for one another. Right now she is studying health and physical education in college. She plans to continue to study yoga and all it has to offer.

I first found yoga as a supplement to dance classes during my high school years. It was a required course during the summer intensive program at Point Park University. I actually fell asleep during my very first class, due to a full dance schedule.As time went on, I danced less and still made time to return to my mat. Yoga has always been a steady constant in my life, whether it was a physical outlet or an emotional/mental one.I’ve continued to remain dedicated to my yoga practice where the wind has taken me. I lived in Japan for two years and continued to study and even had my first teaching opportunity at Monkey Pod Yoga in Kuki, Saitama. I’ve also made it a habit of studying wherever I end up traveling to including Bali & Lombok, Indonesia, Taiwan, Portugal & throughout the states.I completed my 200hr teacher training in 2014 with South Hills Power Yoga and have been teaching non-stop ever since. And even more recently, I completed my 300hr advanced teacher training program at Sangha Center for Yoga & Wellness in the summer of 2017. I truly love teaching yoga and will continue to keep learning as a student myself.I’m so excited to help spread the yoga love within the Moon Township community!

Laura Bonucci, instructor, RYT 200 Laura fell in love with the sense of peace she experienced when she walked out of her first yoga class. As a teenager, she was in a serious car accident that left her in a wheelchair with broken vertebrae. Afterward this she had limited mobility and strength. Yoga has allowed her to gain back much of the strength, mobility and quality of life that she lost. Each class leaves her feeling vibrant, invigorated, full of life and reconnected. In April of 2013, Laura completed a 100 Hour Training with Amazing Yoga in Nosara, Costa Rica. In August 2014, she completed a 200 Hour Teacher Training with South Hills Power Yoga. She has taken additional hands-on-assisting workshops, as well as attending classes with Kathryn Budig and Bryan Kest. Laura enjoys connecting to her students during class with gentle modifications and assists. Laura has found yoga to be an incredible source of joy and empowerment in her life and enjoys sharing her love of yoga through teaching others! Laura expresses her creativity through designing jewelry and is the #girlboss behind Boho Tribe Collection. Laura also has a cat named Jaggy who enjoys chin scratches and frequent napping.